More about Rhode Island's PASS Program

PASS stands for Personal Assistance Services and Supports. It allows families of Medicaid eligible children with special health care needs to play a larger role in the provision of assistance for their child.

PASS is a consumer directed program, which means that the family and the child receiving services have a great deal of control over how care for the child is provided.

Families can choose who they want to provide care, when they want it provided, what type of assistance is provided, as well as directly supervise the worker providing the care

PASS recipients have all types of disabilities, such as:

• Physical Disabilities such as cerebral palsy, spinal bifida and muscular dystrophy
• Developmental disabilities such as Down’s syndrome
• Behavioral/communication disabilities such as autism, attention deficit disorder and other conditions

Training

Each PASS worker will receive general training and orientation as well as training specific to the needs of the child they will be assisting.

The general training and orientation will include:

• Generalized information about service activities
• Consumer-directed care
• Cultural competency
• Employment responsibilities

Employment

The PASS worker is selected and supervised by the parent or guardian of the child receiving services. The worker is employed by a certified PASS Agency, which is responsible for the background checks, payroll, and basic training and orientation.

Pay and hours

Depending on the needs of the child and the agency, PASS workers earn between $9.00 and $14.00 an hour. Hours are flexible, shifts normally occur in the late afternoon/early evening and on weekends and can be between two and four hours long, but that is up to the family.